Our Summer Of Endless Disasters

The Second Letter

Dear Angie,

So I figured the beginning was as good a place as any to start. Except, you know, I live nowhere near the beach, so #1 was going to be a little hard to complete. So – the next best thing: #2. Finally make Deadman's dip. Which is where I encountered my first problem with your list: Angie, what exactly is Deadman's dip?

Okay, okay, that's a little unfair seeing as you never actually intended for anyone else to see your bucket list – but still Angie, come on, what does that even mean?

So I hit up the tried and tested (Google), and then got a little desperate (Yahoo), and finally turned to Parker (remember him?) for help. I guess these letters are never going to give you the whole picture, but I'll do my best. So, Parker:  short, adorable, hates being called adorable, adorable nonetheless, hella smart, my oldest friend, and self-proclaimed 'mum' of the group – you've got one of those too, right? You know, they're smart, they're good with advice and secrets, and they make really, really good tea? (How do they do it? How? They make it the exact same way as the rest of us – why does it taste so amazingly different?)

So anyway, I called up Parker due to the hella smart thing – he knows all about everything and everyone (yes, kind of like gossip girl, but if gossip girl was into road maps and had a photographic memory). And he just looks at me like "dude, is this to do with that list?"

You might remember that Parker was there when I found your list, but what I didn't tell you was that Parker is not really a fan of this whole idea. I mean, he's had a lot on his plate this year, what with his stepsister (who's a total douche canoe, by the way) running away to join the circus (no, unfortunately I'm not joking) and then coming back three months pregnant and engaged to the tiger trainer, as well as his other sister kind of going off the rails, and having to deal with...well, the whole sucky thing I was telling you about before. So he's been looking forward to an easy summer, and I kind of messed all that up by drafting him into this...well, this quest, essentially.

So no, he's not a big fan of the whole idea. But he's helping, and I think that just shows a lot about him. So anyway, still giving me the whole 'ugh this is a bad idea' vibe, he just looks at me like I'm stupid – he does that a lot - and goes "are you talking about that impossible bike dip out near the train line?"

Now, this is where I have to tell you something embarrassing. Angie, I can't ride a bike.

I know it sounds crazy, because, you know, everyone can ride a bike. But I just never learned. And, since then, I've never really had the time or chance to learn, and, you know, what seventeen year old is gonna admit to not being able to ride a bike?

Okay, well I just did, but that's the exception that makes the rule, and all that.

So, back to Deadman's dip. So I was already a little nervous (I mean, 'deadman'? Really? Now that's reassuring), but when I learn that there are bikes involved I'm freaking out. But it's too late to back out now, and I'm completing every one, so I guess I'd rather it be sooner than later.

So I do what anyone would do in my situation: send out a mass text reading 'Avengers Assemble' to the squad, and supply the appropriate snacks.

Do you have any idea how much your friends are gonna laugh when you tell them something embarrassing? Put it this way: if it's for less than half an hour, you've got way more understanding friends than mine.

Oh, but I haven't actually introduced you to my friends! Okay, so we've got Parker, who you already know (kind of?), then there's JP, who's like the peanut butter to my jelly, and Saint, who's practically a martyr. And yes, those are nicknames. And okay, yeah, 'JP' does stand for both of his middle names, and no 'Saint' wasn't particularly inventive, but still Angie, give me some credit. That took me like twenty minutes to think up.